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Chad Kelly throws two TD passes as Argos clinch playoff berth with win over Elks

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Cite

Ralph, D. (2026, September 19). Chad Kelly throws two TD passes as Argos clinch playoff berth with win over Elks. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/argos/chad-kelly-throws-two-td-passes-as-argos-clinch-playoff-berth-with-win-over-elks/article_a9d9212f-4763-526e-aea9-7847e7698858.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-19 · by Dan Ralph

Quick Summary

Chad Kelly threw two touchdown passes as the Toronto Argonauts secured their playoff spot and home playoff game with a 24-19 win over the Edmonton Elks on Saturday. Despite facing late pressure from Edmonton, who had threatened to tie at the end of the game, an interception by Tarvarus McFadden sealed the victory for Toronto. Chad Kelly played through injuries including a broken toe and a hand shot, completing 13-of-19 passes for 289 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the crucial win.
Written by AI on 2026-09-20, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On Saturday, Chad Kelly led the Toronto Argonauts to a crucial 24-19 victory over the Edmonton Elks, securing the Argos' playoff berth and home field advantage for their first post-season game. With this win, Toronto improved their record to 8-6 while Edmonton's dropped to 10-4. The match saw Cody Fajardo nearly give Edmonton a late lead but was intercepted by Tarvarus McFadden, sealing the victory for Toronto with 19 seconds left. Throughout the game, Edmonton had several opportunities to close the gap, including an altercation resulting in Elks player Chelen Garnes being ejected and another where they drove to within four yards of tying the score before a crucial interception by Benjie Franklin. Despite these setbacks, Edmonton was aiming for their fifth consecutive win, which would have been their first such streak since 2017.

Written for “Argos Clinch Playoff Berth” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Argos Clinch Playoff Berth
Sports · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 3% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Global News
Hedges 1 of 34 claims Outlet record 63/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
34
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
3%
1 of 34 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
2
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-20 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 11143 article(s) · 28 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 28 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

Dan Ralph
15 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Winnipeg will travel to Montreal for the East final next weekend.
🔮 Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly will play Saturday after missing last week’s regular-season finale versus Montreal with a knee injury.
🔮 Toronto will host the fourth-place finisher in the West in the East semifinal Oct 31.
🔮 “It would just mean we’ve got a good offence and you’ve got to pick your poison,” said Mital.
🔮 Ottawa has also struggled mightily on defence, allowing 37.5 points, 486.6 net offensive yards, 134.1 rushing yards and 348.4 passing yards per game and 64 total touchdowns — all league highs.
🔮 Miller said Monday he hasn’t decided if or when Kelly might practise this week, or whether Kelly will play Friday night when Toronto (9-8) hosts the Montreal Alouettes (13-4) in the regular-season finale for both teams.
🔮 The Montreal Alouettes (11-3) could clinch first in the East Division with a win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7) later Saturday.
🔮 The Argos have clinched a home playoff game and remain — mathematically at least — in contention for first in the East Division. But the Montreal Alouettes (11-3) would clinch top spot — and host the East final Nov. 7 — with a Toronto loss to B.C. and a home win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7) on Saturday night. Pickett, 30, isn’t the only Argos defensive player enjoying a solid campaign.
🔮 Both standards could fall quickly as Horvath has scored three or more touchdowns in a game three times this year, including a season-high four TDs in a 45-24 win over Ottawa on Aug. 30.
🔮 Fajardo had a shot at the recovery following a high snap but couldn’t corral the ball, allowing Holley to scoop it up and rumble downfield.
Also by Dan Ralph
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 15 articles by Dan Ralph →

Topics

Argonauts Edmonton TORONTO the Edmonton Elks the Toronto Argonauts

Subjects

TORONTO GPE · 14× Kelly PERSON · 8× Edmonton GPE · 7× Blanchard PERSON · 5× Fajardo PERSON · 3× Mital PERSON · 3× Holley PERSON · 2× Miller PERSON · 2× Chad Kelly PERSON · 1× the Toronto Argonauts ORG · 1×

Narrative

Things got testy on the march as Elks defensive back Chelen Garnes was ejected for rough play after an altercation with Mital, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness.
framing: assertive · carried by 2 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-20
🔮 Fajardo had a shot at the recovery following a high snap but couldn’t corral the ball, allowing Holley to scoop it up and rumble downfield.
2026-09-20 · Global News
Argos clinch playoff berth with victory over Elks · assertive framing

Claims (34 extracted, 1 hedged)

TORONTO - Chad Kelly and the Toronto Argonauts are playoff bound. asserted
Kelly → bind → ?
Kelly threw two touchdown passes as Toronto held on for a 24-19 win over the Edmonton Elks on Saturday afternoon. asserted
Toronto → throw → afternoon
The Argonauts clinched a post-season berth and home playoff game. asserted
Argonauts → clinch → berth
Edmonton (10-4) threatened to take the late lead, driving to the Toronto 21-yard line. asserted
Edmonton → threaten → line
But Tarvarus McFadden ended the threat, intercepting Cody Fajardo’s pass in the end zone with 19 seconds remaining. asserted
McFadden → end → seconds
Edmonton was chasing a fifth straight win. asserted
Edmonton → chase → win
It last did so in 2017. asserted
It → do → 2017
Vincent Blanchard cut Toronto’s lead to 24-19 with a 19-yard field goal before a BMO Field gathering of 15,991. asserted
Blanchard → cut → 15,991
The four-play, 52-yard march was set up by Montrell Washington’s 38-yard punt return and included a penalty against an Argos coach for contacting an official. asserted
march → set → official
Blanchard missed from 42 yards out with 6:05 remaining to keep it a five-point game. asserted
6:05 → miss → it
Kevin Mital, Dymere Miller and Ralph Holley scored Toronto’s (8-6) touchdowns. asserted
Mital → score → touchdowns
Lirim Hajrullahu added the converts and a field goal. asserted
Hajrullahu → add → converts
Fajardo had Edmonton’s touchdown. asserted
Fajardo → have → touchdown
Blanchard kicked four field goals and a convert. asserted
Blanchard → kick → goals
Edmonton was poised to tie the game, driving to the Toronto four-yard line. asserted
Edmonton → poise → line
But Benjie Franklin’s interception halted the 12-play, 70-yard drive that took 6:19 off the clock. asserted
that → halt → clock
Holley’s 55-yard fumble-return TD at 8:11 gave Toronto a 24-16 lead. asserted
TD → give → lead
Fajardo had a shot at the recovery following a high snap but couldn’t corral the ball, allowing Holley to scoop it up and rumble downfield. asserted
Holley → have → it
Blanchard connected from 16 yards out at 4:19 to pull Edmonton to within 17-16. asserted
Blanchard → connect → 17
Blanchard’s 18-yard field goal at 14:47 of the second quarter cut Toronto’s halftime lead to 17-13. asserted
goal → cut → 17
But Kelly was a one-man show, completing 13-of-19 passes for 289 yards with two TDs and an interception. asserted
Kelly → complete → TDs
Yet, early on it looked like it might be a short day for Kelly. uncertain
it → look → Kelly
He was limping after a first-quarter TD pass to Mital and went to Toronto’s medical tent but remained in the game. asserted
He → limp → game
Kelly suffered a broken toe in Toronto’s 28-24 loss in Regina on Aug. 29. asserted
Kelly → suffer → Aug.
And on another first-half possession Saturday, Kelly took a shot to his right hand. asserted
Kelly → take → hand
Kelly’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Miller put Toronto ahead 17-10 at 12:33. asserted
pass → put → 12:33
And despite his injury, Kelly began by rolling to his right, then reversed field before finding Miller in the corner of the end zone. asserted
Kelly → begin → zone
Things got testy on the march as Elks defensive back Chelen Garnes was ejected for rough play after an altercation with Mital, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness. asserted
who → get → roughness
Then Toronto’s Damonte Coxie and Edmonton’s J.J. Ross received offsetting objectionable conduct penalties. asserted
Coxie → receive → penalties
Fajardo made it 10-10 with a one-yard TD run at 9:55, ending a seven-play, 80-yard drive. asserted
it → make → drive
Hajrullahu’s 19-yard field goal had extended Toronto’s lead to 10-3 at 11:56 of the first. asserted
goal → extend → first
Kelly capped Toronto’s opening two-play, 70-yard drive with a 14-yard TD pass to Mital at 4:12 of he first. asserted
Kelly → cap → first
It came after Blanchard finished Edmonton’s opening possession with a 33-yard field goal at 3:16. asserted
Blanchard → come → 3:16
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2026. asserted
report → publish → Press
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